Eagles marching band good as gold Adams band qualifies for regionals for first time in 10 years

October 04, 2006|JIM MEENAN Tribune Staff Writer

The disciplined, cohesive sound of a well-trained marching band ... what can sound sweeter than that? Well, if you are in that band, the news that years of hard work have paid off with your unit's first trip in 10 years to the regionals, can. That's what the Adams High School marching band learned Saturday after its performance at the district competition at Lewis Cass High School in Walton. The Eagles received a gold rating in Class B competition and will move on to the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) regional. "It's huge," said Ashley Gates, a junior clarinet player. "We are very proud. "Last year we missed by less than a point. So this year, it's like 'wow! We finally did it. All the hard work paid off.'" Joe O'Rourke, a junior who plays the baritone, echoed Gates' sentiments almost word for word. The band's step forward was not lost on him either. "We are really excited to be able to do it," he said of qualifying for the regional. "And it means that we are truly a competitive band in the region, and that we are really stepping up our performance to the next level." Stepping up in scoring about 7 percent higher than last year came with a price. Dedication and discipline were no longer demands to be reached, but expectations to be exceeded. "Because of what happened last year, the students understood what the goals were," said Dawn Forsythe, the band director at Adams. "Students not interested in this type of activity and understanding the rules, quit." The band, which numbers 70, lost 18 students from the previous year. "Basically those not interested in added rehearsals, dropped it," Forsythe said. It left her with a group of students as cohesive and dedicated as the staff, which consists of Associate Director David Seel, and instructors Charles Lawrence in percussion; Ryan Prebys in color guard; Lori Seel, associate color guard; Alan Temby in drill design, and Jamie Lawrence in visual design. "Having the band work together with an associate director and a percussion instructor and a color guard instructor that's all the same (as the previous year), and that they are comfortable with is the key," Forsythe said. Each of their strengths blends nicely with another weakness, she added. "We bring each gift to the table for the overall package," Forsythe said. But the band sometimes even pushes them, she said. "At times they are the driving force, instead of the staff," she said. "That's what makes them the great group that they are." And as the Eagles practiced on the stage in the auditorium Monday morning because of the rain, it made for a sound that seemed more like a performance than a practice. "The tone that's being set, they want to work harder and want more time," Forsythe said. "Even though it's toward the end of the season, they want more time." They will get it with the ISSMA regional competition in Chesterton, Ind., Oct. 14 after competing this Saturday at the Plymouth Invitational. The band has also been aided by dedicated parents, Forsythe said, citing their building of a castle that the band marches out of to begin their Medieval-themed performance. Candles, sabers, flags and drum majors wearing medieval dress are all part of the show. And it's fun, Gates said. "There's points during rehearsals where we can relax and have fun," she said. "Wednesday night rehearsals are always a blast." O'Rourke says he likes the performance. "It's a serious performance like when we're playing we have a dark sound," he said. "It's not a bright jazzy tune, so it's something serious. But at the same time, there's lots of fun parts in the music." And the dedication has produced other learning experiences, too. "You learn life skills because you don't talk, therefore you listen to your elders," Gates said. "And you have more respect for people and you get more respect." In short, total dedication is showing. "You can definitely tell a complete turnaround from last year's band to this year's," Gates said. "Everybody is more focused at rehearsals. There's less talking. It's a more dedicated band." And it's a band on the rise. "They deserved it last year," Forsythe said of reaching the regional. "But they definitely deserve it this year. "We have raised the bar completely. We raised it last year and even further this year. All of last year was preparation for this week. We have made it so we are just really happy."Staff writer Jim Meenan: jmeenan@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6342